Jeanne's misfortunate adventures in the Great Holy Grail War
by Merlin Pranks101
Summary: She truly did not know if she was fortunate or unfortunate...she had a group of amazing servants to help her enforce the rules but...why was the Grail making her break the rules? Meanwhile, the Grail laughs in amusement at her little Ruler's adventures.
1. The Beginning

**Hiya~ Merlin here! As promised, the long awaited rewrite of Jeanne's Faction! Please, sit\lay down relax and hopefully enjoy the fruit of my labour! I worked hard for this, got it to 2k words and that is my goal for each chapter. And also, for each chapter, the review that I appreciate the most will be granted an omake request! So be sure to leave a nice...long...juicy...review!**

_"Why? A kind person. A gentle master. If you treasure me this much. Yet if you are this kind, I..."_

\- ?(Cookie to whoever guesses who this is)

Jeanne walked down the road, wandering deeper into the dark forest. She was incredibly confused, it hadn't even been an hour since her summoning and the Grail was already giving her instructions. She wasn't even in Romania yet!

After a long hour of walking in the calm forest, she emerged into a large clearing with three summoning circles drawn perfectly on the ground.

The Ruler's eyes widened as she realized what the Grail intended for her to do. While it would reduce her trustworthiness towards the competitors of this Grail War, three servants to help her enforce order would be especially valuable.

She approached the circles cautiously, not certain if the servants would just appear or if she would have to summon them herself.

The instant she arrived in front of the first circle, it started to glow with an arcane light that she hoped nobody would notice. She knew that she was very deep in the forest but one could not be too cautious.

The light shined brightly, blinding her for a moment. When her eyes cleared, she was greeted by a friendly grin on the face of a truly beautiful silver-haired woman wearing traditional Japanese clothing with four katana sheathed at her waist.

"Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu! Such is my name!"

Jeanne looked at her servant blankly for a long moment, this caused her summoned servant to sweat and look around in nervousness.

"Sorry, let's do that over! Servant Saber, Musashi Miyamoto has arrived! Show me something fun and interesting, Master!"

Jeanne snapped out of her slight daze and smiled apologetically at her servant.

"Ah, pardon me! I did not mean to stare, I just didn't expect to get such a famous and powerful hero on the first summon."

Musashi tilted her head to the side in confusion and scratched the back of her head.

"Eeeh? I'm famous?!"

Jeanne giggled gently at her servant's cluelessness.

"You were not aware of your own fame? How peculiar, Saber."

The Saber servant pouted childishly at her master for a moment before smirking mischievously.

"Master! As consolation for you mocking my knowledge, you owe me two free servings of Udon!"

Ruler's eyes widened in surprise before softening at Saber's playfulness. It seems as though they will get along just fine.

"Very well, Saber. I will get you two servings of Udon when we have the chance."

Musashi grinned victoriously at her triumph.

"I'll hold you to that, Master! But first, don't you need to summon the other servants?"

Saber reminded her master of the other servants she would have to summon.

"Ah yes!"

Jeanne moved towards the second summoning circle which immediately activated at her proximity.

The process repeated itself, blinding her for a moment.

The first thing she noticed was not the oversized heart-shaped spear. It wasn't the sailor girl uniform either. The first thing she noticed was her expression. A sad melancholic smile that spoke of suffering and hardship.

The woman was inhumanly beautiful, divine even. Her long white hair  
bobbed as she bowed her head in subservience.

"Brynhildr. My class is...Lancer. Please do not be kind to me...master."

Jeanne's slight smile slowly dipped into a frown at Brynhildr's words. How broken was she?

"Please, stand up, Lancer. No need to be so formal with me. I would prefer we be friends."

The Valkyrie froze at the word friend. She was slightly shaken at hearing those words from a complete stranger. The only one to offer her any sort of meaningful relationship was Sigurd...Oh, Sigurd...

Lancer's thoughts were interrupted by the boisterous laugh of Saber. Who then proceeded to pull both her and Jeanne into her arms.

"Shehehehehe! Well said, Master! We shall be...what do they call it these days? Ah yes. We shall be BFFs! All that's left is to summon the last servant to have them join our BFF group!"

Jeanne chuckled warmly at the Saber's affections. She was startled to hear a slight giggle coming from the Norse warrior resting in Saber's other arm.

"While I agree with you, Musashi, I need you to let go if you want me to summon the last servant."

Musashi laughed sheepishly and let them both go. Jeanne spared a glance at her Lancer, who she could've sworn looked disappointed for half a second there. She decided to let it go and just continue on with the summonings.

She neared the last circle with a confident step. No matter who would be summoned, she was sure she could handle them.

The same blinding light appeared once more.

"Cú Chulainn. Answering your summons, I've arrived."

A tall man dressed in the most intimidating set of armour she had ever seen. It was full of spikes and skull motifs, it was almost enough for her to consider it nightmare fuel. His intimidating appearance was only enhanced by the blood red spear in his hand, Gáe Bolg, that radiated bloodlust.

"It will be an honour to fight alongside you, Child of Light."

The Berserker gazed impassively at her form, before grunting in a sign of acceptance.

"It seems as if you won't get in the way. All you need to do is point out who is the enemy and I'll rip them apart."

All of this was said with the same indifferent tone of voice he used to introduce himself. The man was more of a machine than anything else now.

It would be a challenge to befriend him, but with Musashi's and Brynhildr's help, it didn't seem all that impossible as a task.

"Man...you're a real scary dude, you know."

It seems as if Musashi couldn't stop herself from commenting on his appearance.

A slight smirk, fake as it was, appeared on his face.

"I can look even worse if you'd like."

As soon as he finished his sentence, the smirk disappeared to be replaced with an annoyed scowl.

He started muttering something about a 'foul woman and her damn influence' or something.

Jeanne turned to check on Brynhildr only to find her eying Berserker with a weird look in her eyes. She was also gripping her spear very very tightly as if she was trying to stop herself from doing something. She started biting her lip nervously and tried to move her attention away from the sole male's presence.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Jeanne had had enough and decided that she would not ignore her new friend just for the sake of politeness. She stopped walking and turned to question the beautiful white-haired woman, but then said white-haired woman burst into action and tried to stab Berserker straight in the chest.

Of course, the man deflected the attack with contemptuous ease and looked down at Brynhildr with an emotionless gaze. He was not the least bit surprised to see her attacking him, he had felt her bloodlust from the moment she had laid eyes on him.

His spear lashed slashing at her stomach and causing a slight rip in her shirt. Brynhildr was not deterred and started striking him with her spear, each attack came from a different direction. She started with an overhead strike which Berserker easily batted away with his bare hands. He immediately went to retaliate, but the woman regained her footing quite fast and resumed her attack by igniting the tip of her spear and going to sweep his feet, to which he jumped over the attack and stuck his own spear into one of the holes in the blade of her spear, causing her to abandon the spear and strike Ireland's Child of Light straight in the face and continuing her attack with a series of punches and kicks which left bruises on the man's body. They were all healed up by his runes in a matter of seconds.

She had sent one last kick that threw him away from both of their weapons. Brynhildr took the opportunity and took both weapons, one in each hand. She struck with Gáe Bolg first going to stab him in the stomach, but he caught the spear by the handle before it could so much as scratch him.

He was surprised to see his aggressor unhand the weapon and jump away from him but understood once he saw the glowing runes on the shaft of the spear in the familiar array to perform a moderately-sized explosion.

Cu reacted quickly and threw the spear straight towards the Lancer causing her to twirl her spear to create a wall of fire with a defensive rune array popping up as a last line of defence.

This was the moment the two other servants that were present decided to wake up from their surprised states. Musashi dashing as fast as she could and kicking the spear far off into the sky, causing it to explode far away from anyone.

Jeanne had also reacted using two command seals, one for each fighter telling them not to attack each other anymore.

Jeanne sighed in relief as she noticed her two violent servants relaxing their stances. She approached Brynhildr to check on her condition. The woman had collapsed onto her knees and was now shaking in fear of the judgement that would surely be brought on her.

She looked down at her knees as Jeanne approached her calmly. The blond kneeled down next to her and did something that truly surprised her. It was something not a lot of people had done for her. She could count all those people on one hand. Mother Freya, Musashi, and her love Sigurd. Now, she could add one more to that list.

"I am truly sorry, Master... I did not mean for this to happen, I resisted all I could but that curse is etched into my very Saint Graph."

Jeanne hushed her and signalled for her to just relax.

"I am not angry at you, Brynhildr. I am just confused about what transpired. Why did you attack Berserker?"

Brynhildr sniffed slightly before replying to her master.

"It is a curse etched into my very being. Because of my legend, I am cursed to kill all men who fit my view of a hero. Not only that but this curse also forces me to kill my beloved, Sigurd, were we to ever be summoned in the same Grail War."

Jeanne frowned sadly at her servant's explanation, what a sad existence. She could not let this pass.

Hmm, she has a few command seals to spare.

"Brynhildr. Stand."

Brynhildr immediately followed the order and stood up straight.

"With this command spell, I order you erase that curse from you very being!"

Brynhildr granted a small sad smile to Jeanne at her kindness.

"Master you have no need to use your command seals on a lost cause like me."

"With this second command spell, I reinforce that order!"

Tears started gathering in the corner of her eyes at her master's actions.

"Master, please, there is no need to do this!"

"With this third command spell, I, once more, reinforce that order!"

The tears started to fall in streams.

"Why? A kind person. A gentle master. If you treasure me this much. Yet if you are this kind, I..."

"With this fourth command seal, I order you to fully erase that curse from your being!"

Brynhildr started screaming in pain as her very core was twisted so as to erase that damned curse. Her screams of agony would forever remain etched into Jeanne's memory.

The pain was indescribable but in the end. It was worth it.

When Brynhildr next laid her eyes on Berserker, there was no hidden bloodlust. None whatsoever...the curse was gone.

This was the moment that they would all cherish, even the mostly emotionless Berserker, no matter how much he would deny it. The day that the melancholic Valkyrie showed her truest happiest smile in a long while.

This day also marked the start of the battle to claim the Great Holy Grail.

The start of the battle of swords, ideals, and most importantly: dreams.

**And here begins the Greatest Holy Grail War...buckle up, cus' this'll be a wild ride, boys and girl.**


	2. Aid from the Unholy

**New chapter! Hello, everyone! It is, I, Merlin! Sending you another chapter about a wonderful timeline that I glimpsed while staying in Avalon, I was bored and Zelretch had dropped by so we watched this timeline with him and amused myself by watching poor little Jeanne at work. Anyway, next chapter you might notice a change of style of writing. For some reason, when I decided to go and write a small HakunoxCharlemagne fic, I noticed that my style had suffered a few changes. Anyway, you'll get when the next chapter is out. Or you can just go read Moments of Reprieve *wink, wink*.**

Jeanne looked out of the window, sparkles lit up in her eyes as she saw the land of her country from up high. Her revery was abruptly cut off by Musashi pushing her face out of the way to look out the window while crying out in surprise.

"Woooooow! We're so high up!"

Brynhildr put her chin on Musashi's shoulder with a perplexed look.

"What is so incredible? The view from my chariot is much more amazing."

Musashi turned to her excitedly while grinning.

"Eeeeeh! You have a flying chariot?! Why didn't you summon it earlier?"

Brynhildr pouted from the questioning.

"I am no Rider, Saber. Class restrictions exist after all."

Musashi let out a disappointed sigh at the reminder.

"Will you both shut up. You're drawing way too much attention."

Their Berserker ally finally decided to join the conversation only to shut them up.

"Maa, maa, calm down, Berserker. You only live once, you know?"

The Mad King looked at her flatly.

"You do know that you've already died once, right?"

The Saber laughed uproariously while releasing her master from her tight prison.

"And that is where you are wrong, dear friend!"

Cu Chulainn sneered down at her shorter form.

"We are anything but friends."

Musashi slapped him on the back, having to stretch a bit since Brynhildr was between them.

"Yeah, you keep thinking that. Anyway, you see! I have yet to find a foe powerful enough to slay me! I am simply travelling between worlds trying to perfect my sword style."

Her companions looked at her incredulously, her origins were ever so lightly unbelievable.

"Hahahaha! Is it so unbelievable for a dimension-crosser to exist in a world where fourteen heroes from the past are brought together to fight for a miraculous wish-granting device?"

Jeanne sighed exasperatedly at her servants' exuberance.

"It is not unbelievable. With the existence of beings like the wielder of the Second Magic, it does not seem impossible."

"See! I'm not kidding! I swear you guys are worse than that Gudao boy...  
at least he was handsome."

Berserker turned to her with a withering glare.

"Hmmm? I feel like you just insulted me behind my back, trash."

"Eh?! No, no, no! Absolutely not! I did no such thing, I swear!"

Saber waved her arms maniacally in denial. She wouldn't mind having a nice fight with Ireland's Child of Light, but they couldn't do it HERE of all places.

"Tch, whatever."

The Irishman turned away, closed his eyes and did his best to ignore his travel companions.

The silver-haired Saber sighed in relief at the monster's open dismissal of her. Jeanne patted the swordswoman on the back to comfort her.

"How about getting those two servings of Udon, hmm?"

Saber brightened up at her offer and nodded furiously.

"Yes please, Master!"

Jeanne giggled heartily at the woman's enthusiasm.

"Udon? The Grail has not given me any information about this Udon. Could you please explain, Saber?"

Brynhildr gazed at Musashi questioningly, confused at what this Udon thing was. The swordswoman frowned, saddened that she did not know the glory of Udon.

"Actually, I am curious too, Saber. I may have promised you some Udon, but I myself do not know what it is."

Saber's frown deepened even more.

"What kind of food did you eat if you didn't have the glory of Udon?"

Jeanne didn't even need to think about it, she could still remember the horrible food of her time. She shivered just thinking about it.

"In times of combat, we just ate some bread with some water. Whenever we managed to earn a break and be somewhere even remotely peaceful, we ate some stew."

Ruler had tears gathering in her eyes at how disappointing her culinary life had been.

Brynhildr smiled gently thinking of the time when she went hunting with her beloved Sigurd. They usually hunted some normal animals, but sometimes they took it a step further and hunted some Monstrous, Phantasmal, or even, though they only did it once, Divine Beasts.

She took her time explaining to her companions how she and her husband had hunted some of the most dangerous beasts of their time and tasted them. She had to admit that Hraesvelg the Corpse Eater had tasted truly divine, though they had caught the ire of Hel by doing so. The only thing stopping Hel from cursing them for eternity was the fact that she and Brynhildr had actually been well-acquainted and considered each other trustworthy people. There was also the fact that their souls had already been destined to the Throne of Heroes, or as she knew it, Valhalla.

Musashi and Jeanne listened attentively, truly amazed at the adventures she had with her love. Unknown to them, their seemingly sleeping companion raised an eyebrow in interest.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeanne stretched as she walked out of their hotel room. She wanted to walk around Bucharest before having to summon her next batch of servants. She would need to be at full strength and mental awareness, the powerful ley lines in Bucharest basically guaranteed a powerful servant.

She smiled kindly at the receptionist who gave her a tired wave before turning back to a complaining man. Jeanne walked out of the hotel and walked around the market to relax. She engaged in friendly conversations with the elderly she saw sitting alone on benches in the park she had passed by, listening to them telling the story of their lives.

After an hour and a half, she walked back into the hotel. Jeanne waved once more at the receptionist who was typing some stuff on her computer. Jeanne entered the elevator and pressed the button for the fifth floor.

The door was about to close when an old but spry voice called out.

"Hold up!"

Jeanne hurried to place her arm between the doors so that they would not close, allowing a well-dressed and aged man to enter the elevator.

"Thank you, young woman."

Jeanne was about to respond when she finally noticed the man's eyes. The blood red eyes were like fine wine, aged and playful. Her heart skipped a beat in surprise. Truly not who she was expecting to meet, and in an elevator of all things.

"You figured out who I am yet?"

Jeanne nodded with a cautious look on her face, vampires were not to be trusted, after all, no matter how much they claimed to be allies of humanity.

"I would say it is a pleasure to meet you, Wizard Marshall, but that would be a lie. What can I do to get you out of Romania as fast as possible, I would appreciate you not interfering with the Grail War. "

The Old Man of the Jewels chuckled merrily at her passive-aggressive tone.

"My, my, how long has it been since someone apart from my grandaughters has talked to me so carelessly?"

Jeanne frowned as the doors of the elevator opened to the floor her room was. They both exited the elevator and walked together towards her room.

"No need to be upset, young lady. What I want is very simple and will help you a lot."

The Saint of the Flag looked at him in surprise as the space around his hand seemed to twist into itself and take on a glass-like appearance. An old wand with even more ancient runes dropped into his waiting hand.

"In all the realities I have peered and travelled to, one thing remains the same...Jeanne d'Arc is unable to handle her own finances."

Jeanne blushed in embarrassment at the old vampire's words as one of her biggest faults came to surface. She had never had a chance to learn mathematics, such a privilege was reserved for nobility and scholars.

Zelretch chuckled quietly at her embarrassment, the face she made was adorable. He then continued his explanation.

"This catalyst should summon a competent heroic spirit to handle your finances during your war efforts."

Jeanne smiled, still blushing, in appreciation at the gift. On the inside, she went over his sentence and frowned mentally. There was something not quite right with what he had said. Oh well, she would think about it later.

"Take it will you, I need to leave in about ten seconds."

Jeanne nodded and took the wand just in time for Zelretch to disappear in a kaleidoscope of magic, narrowly dodging the red-barbed spear that had cut through the door.

The spear was brought back in the room and its owner kicked the door off its hinges to exit the room.

Bestial red eyes looked around, nose sniffing the air.

"I thought I smelled vampire. Where did they go, master?"

Jeanne looked in horror at the broken door, she hadn't summoned the heroic spirit yet! She didn't have the skills for this, she could get scammed without knowing.

Her look of horror shifted to a glare that slowly went up to look straight into the disappointed gaze of her Berserker.

"They left. Now. You will be accompanying me to summon our next group of allies."

She quickly grabbed his wrist as his battle attire changed into a black casual attire. It was a black blouse buttoned up halfway and simple black jeans held up by a spiked leather belt.

Despite the Mad King's protests, halfhearted as they were, she still managed to get him to the ley line where she would set up the circle.

Her dragging him in the crowded streets of Bucharest had some people whispering about how cute they were. This made her face grow progressively redder as the whispers increased with time.

When they finally reached the ley line, it was already dark out. Jeanne sighed in frustration as she had forgotten to pick up her two other servants from the shopping district. What they would do there without money, she had no idea. Girls were weird.

She had told them where she was via their mental connection, but she had no idea how much time it would take them to get here. Her thoughts were interrupted by the rustling coming from the shrubbery.

Berserker jumped down, still in his casual attire, with his spear in hand. He was ready to jump into action if it was a hostile, which he was terribly hoping for it to be. His hopes were crushed as he heard their dumb Saber trash laughing drunkenly. Maybe he could still attack, acting like he didn't know who it was. No, his master wouldn't be fooled. Seems he was stuck not doing anything, he returned to his branch and laid down comfortably, letting his skeletal tail hang down.

Musashi stumbled into the clearing drunkenly while singing an old Japanese song, Brynhildr rushed to catch up to the drunk swordswoman.

Jeanne looked on disappointedly at her servant. Her arms were crossed and her foot was tapping the ground repeatedly. She looked just like an angry mother waiting for their teenage child to come back after having snuck out of the house.

"Saber...how did you even get the alcohol? I didn't give you any money."

Musashi giggled with a drunken flush covering her face. She wrapped her arm around master's shoulders and leaned on her. With a drunken slur, she explained what happened to her master.

"Well you see, maaaster, there were these handsome and kind men that decided to buy us some drinks. Of course, I emptied all of their wallets and when I was completely drunk they started groping me! Haha! Can you believe that, master?!"

Jeanne looked shocked and scandalized at her words. She knew the feeling of being touched against her will because of her stay in the dungeons of the English. Thankfully, they never got the chance to do more because of a kind guard that got the aggressors off of her and never let them close to her cell after that day.

"And you just let them?!"

Musashi laughed so hard she actually fell down to the ground. Her laughter died down slowly as she noticed her master's honestly concerned eyes. Musashi got up from her place on the ground and hugged her master.

"Of course I didn't let them..."

Jeanne sighed in relief that nothing bad had happened.

"I cut their arms off for daring to try and defile a defenceless maiden!"

Jeanne froze at the woman's words. Her amethyst eyes looked into Saber's eyes with undisguised stress.

"You did...what?"

Brynhildr helpfully chimed in with her subdued voice.

"She said she cut their arms off, master."

The Maiden of Orleans turned towards Brynhildr with one of her veins close to popping.

"And you!"

Brynhildr tilted her head innocently.

"Me?"

Jeanne pointed at her with a shaking hand.

"Yes, you! What did you do?!"

Brynhildr smiled happily at her master, thinking she would be proud.

"I tried to cauterize their wounds!"

Jeanne had tears gathering in her eyes at the worsening situation.

"I might have used a bit too much fire and turned their whole body into ash though..."

Jeanne froze in place. The tears in her eyes slowly started falling down her face. Her two girlfriends noticed this and came to comfort her.

"I can't! Even my enforcers are breaking the ruuuuuules!"

The young heroine started wailing from the stress of having two rule-breaking servants. The only thing that made her feel better was that Berserker hadn't broken any rules, and then she remembered she had to pay for the door.

Her wailing became even louder, no matter how much Musashi and Brynhildr tried to console her. A loud thud resounded in the clearing they were in, the three girls either didn't notice or ignored it.

The only male servant of their team walked up to his wailing master. He pushed his two fellow servants off of her and picked her up in his arms in a bridal style. Jeanne stopped her wailing for a bit in surprise and blushed at how Cu Chulainn was picking her up.

The tall man jumped back up to the tree branch, laying down. He let the nineteen-year-old lay down on his chest and rest. He slowly stroked her hair calmingly, making her blush turn atomic.

"I'm not doing this because I care about you or whatever you might think. Your wailing was just really annoying."

Jeanne nodded in understanding and made herself more comfortable on his chest.

Meanwhile, the two other servants were whispering animatedly to each other about how Berserker must have told Ruler something really romantic that made her get comfortable on his chest.

They really twisted the situation, didn't they...

**Please review! Us writers feed on reviews!**


	3. Exciting Developments

**Hello, it is I! Merlin! Now, I know I said I would do an omake for the best review each chapter but...it kind of slipped my mind? So I'll make it for every four chapters! Hehehe, I'm a genius. (****No, just incompetent.) ****Anyway, here we have a new chapter! The servant that the catalyst was for will be revealed in this chapter and there will be a few twists for all of you magnificent people. And some Grail shenanigans...So! Please, enjoy this new chapter of watching Jeanne suffer!**

**Edit: What would you all think of a story where I just post all of my other ideas that I will probably never continue and leave them up for adoption?**

Jeanne stayed on Berserker's chest for about ten minutes before she finally managed to calm down and let her stress go. She looked up at Berserker's bored face and got a slightly embarrassed blush on her face.

She knew the man had no feelings of affection for her and also knew that he was currently not himself. His Saint Graph had revealed to her that he was only the product of a wish on a Holy Grail and had been inserted into the Throne of Heroes because of that.

He was not a man nor a hero. He was the Mad King, an animal whose only desire was to prove his superiority and maintain his place as king. She smiled as she realized why he had actually helped her calm down. It seems the heart of a hero could never truly be destroyed.

"Berserker..."

The beast looked down at her and grunted in annoyance.

"You gonna stop wailing as if you were a newborn babe now?"

Jeanne coughed and blushed in embarrassment at the reminder of her earlier breakdown.

"Y-Yes. It was only a one-time thing, no need to worry about this happening again."

Berserker grunted contently and pushed her off of him and threw her from the tree. Jeanne yelped in surprise and landed on her butt on the ground, her two other servants rushing to her side and giving slight glares to Cu's rough handling of their master.

The man dropped to the ground with a loud thump and rolled his shoulders to get rid of the kinks in them. He looked down at them disinterestedly and walked to stand next to the magic circle, summoning his spear in case the servant decided to attack.

Jeanne sighed exasperatedly and got up from the ground while waving away Musashi and Brynhildr.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

She pulled out the wand from where she had hidden it and looked it over for any visible damage and to try and figure out what hero this wand might be related to.

"Brynhildr? You know a lot about runes, don't you? Can you recognize these?"

She asked, extending the wand to her lancer servant. Brynhildr grabbed it and started inspecting the runes that covered the wand thoroughly.

"These runes...they are quite ancient...not as much as my primordial runes but they are incredibly rare ones that fell out of use after the City-States of Mesopotamia had all fallen..."

Brynhildr looked up at her master with a perplexed look while holding up the wand.

"Where did you find this? It is in a perfect state, no scratches, no rot, nothing. It's in perfect condition as if it was only made today."

Jeanne shrugged and took back the wand from the Valkyrie's hand.

"I'll explain where I got it later. We need to summon this servant now, the sun is rising soon."

Jeanne summoned her armour and started walking towards the perfectly drawn summoning circle laying on the ground, the wand in hand. Power surged from the circle, making it glow with ethereal light, much like the last three times she had done this.

Her eyes widened as she looked upon the man that was summoned.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I am impressed, Darnic. I did not think you to be so resourceful."

Vlad's imperial voice said smoothly as he looked upon the five servants that were to be under his command. All of them looked to be quite impressive and powerful servants. Now, to see if they would co-operate or if they would have to be brought down by the king of the land.

"A simple act, my king. I simply stole the plans of the Einzberns and made small...adjustments."

The clan leader said simply with a small smirk on his face, o how he had taken pleasure in seeing that old man's look of despair as he stole everything their family had worked for.

"Your summons have been answered. I am a servant of Black and my fate is one with the Yggdmillenia."

The five servants chorused as they knelt, their masters watching in awe from the side.

The Saber, a powerful-looking man wearing glasses, lifted his head, revealing his intense icy blue eyes.

"My sword is your sword."

He said simply and yet his voice seemed to immediately seize everyone's attention, much like Vlad. It seems another king has been summoned.

Gordes grinned boastfully at the mighty servant he had summoned, maybe now Darnic would finally recognize his worth and talent.

Darnic extended his arm flamboyantly towards the servants gathered.

"My King. These are the servants our masters of Black have summoned."

He yelled out proudly.

"They are yours to command."

He whispered to his servant lightly.

Vlad easily nodded and rose with all the form of a monarch to look upon them with an exultant and commanding gaze.

"You all have answered these summons seeking the Grail meant to grant your wishes. But first! we must rise to supremacy as the Black Faction and obliterate these foolish foreign invaders that are the Red Faction!"

Darnic nodded and once more reached his arm out flamboyantly.

"Not only have we these powerful servants but we have also managed to adjust the system and make it allow an eighth servant! The servant Avenger!"

The silver-haired man with golden eyes looked up with an evil grin as he gave a glance towards his wheelchair-bound master. Fiore just nodded towards him with a nervous look, a bit intimidated by his presence, full of hate as it was.

The Impaler King gave an investigative once-over at the Avenger, trying to determine his identity or at least his country of origin by his dress and appearance. He grunted and gave up, deciding to learn more about his subordinates.

"I am the Lord Impaler, Vlad Tepes, king of this land and the servant Lancer! I welcome you all to my kingdom and I expect you all to do your best in this war."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Astolfo sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow, not used to the ruthless presence the Romanian king seemed to exude as easily as he breathed air. He gave a glance to his master and turned away immediately at how creepy she was. That look in her eye probably meant nothing good for him.

He'd just talk to his new friends and present himself first so that he could stall for a bit, he really didn't want to be alone with that woman.

"Hiya, everyone! My name's Astolfo, one of Charlemagne's Twelve Paladins!"

His fellow servants and their masters all looked at him with incredulous gazes at his casual dismissal of the unwritten rules of a Grail War.

"Quite daring of you to reveal your true name so readily, but that should come as no surprise considering your legend."

A regal and yet ferocious-looking girl spoke up calmly with an amused glint in her intense steel-grey orbs.

Astolfo turned to her with a ditzy smile and tilted his head to the side cutely, making the queen internally gag and externally have an eyebrow twitch.

"We're all allies so it should be okay! Don't you think so, prett-"

A huge spiked metal ball, glowing red, slammed into the ground in front of Astolfo, completely pulverizing everything and sending debris and dust everywhere.

A loud screech of surprise escaped Astolfo as the effeminate boy looked down at the spiked ball that had landed right in front of him and almost hit him in a very sensitive space.

"Let us get one thing clear" Started the aggressive servant, her formerly steel-grey eyes now burning brightly with the colour of flames. "Any who would think of calling me beautiful or any variation of such a word will suffer a terrible fate." She ground out with a hateful glare towards everyone in the room.

There was a tense silence as everyone contemplated her words and actions.

Finally, the silence was broken by the deep voice of the Saber servant.

"I see no reason not to comply with this request, it is manageable and brings no liability towards our war efforts."

Saber did not have any reason to deny this request and saw no reason for anyone else to refuse.

Astolfo just nodded frantically while the Avenger servant merely gazed at them with a cool stare.

"Good. Now that that has been put to the side." She said with her composed and queenly aura returning to her. "While I am not as forthcoming with my true name as the Paladin, I see no problem in revealing our classes."

Saber nodded in agreement before stepping forward.

"That is quite correct. Knowing our allies class will only prove beneficial to our battle preparations. That said, I am of the Saber class of servants."

A dark-skinned man that seemed to exude a noble and powerful aura stepped up from where he had stood back. "I shall be the one holding the title of Archer of Black in this war." He said calmly.

Astolfo smiled at the man's noble aura and turned towards the girl that had almost crushed him into a fine Astolfo-pancake. Huh...would he taste good if he was a pancake?

"I am Astolfo of the Rider class!" He said with a big smile, him being almost squashed into a pancake already being forgotten.

"And I am of the Berserker class." The girl informed them as she looked at Astolfo with a bit less anger than before.

"I would suggest everyone return to their quarters so that they may be acquainted with their master." Saber advised as he noticed his master's impatient stare.

There was a common sound of agreement and everyone split paths for the rest of the night.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The golden light of the summoning circle faded away to reveal the form of a great and mighty hero.

"I am offended that you would summon me in such a..." His red eyes scanned the area with disdain, gaze lingering on the trash in the bushes and the general uncleanliness of the area. "Subpar location." He finished with a sneer.

Jeanne had some trouble regaining her composure at the sight of the man before her, her True Name Discernment telling her of his identity immediately. "My apologies, King of Heroes, I have no control over the location of the summoning, I simply follow the Grail's orders." She informed in such a way that she hoped he wouldn't be offended.

"I shall forgive this transgression for I am a merciful king, but you should make haste in trying to gain my favour, mongrel. As it is now, I have no obligation or want to aid you in this mediator business for this battle of thieves." Gilgamesh started to astralize, a smirk covering his face.

Jeanne sighed at the man's words and just nodded, accepting that nothing she could ever say or do would make this man budge.

"Well...that went well...I think..." Musashi added as she finally couldn't take the awkward silence that had been forced on them.

Berserker just gave a sound of annoyance. "Someone who won't fight is useless, especially considering he's a Caster." The man grunted out, having an immediate dislike for the man.

Jeanne sighed, she had a feeling that she'd have trouble dealing with the King of Heroes.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"DAMMIT, ZELRETCH!"

A beautiful white-haired woman rolled around on the ground, screaming out profanities and curses at the Dead Apostle Ancestor that had ruined her plans.

"I wanted her to summon Asclepius so that she could win no matter what!" The personification of the Grail whined as she hit the ground with her delicate fists.

A determined and passionate look crossed her face as an idea crossed her mind. "Fine! You're not the only one who can play the sabotage game! You made things twice as hard for her, so I'll make things ten times easier!" She cried out as she started laughing like a madwoman.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Should we leave and return to our room in the hotel, master?" Brynhildr tilted her head slightly, a questioning look on her face.

Jeanne let out a long and agonized sigh, nodding in confirmation. "Yes, I believe that that would be best for now." The Ruler started walking away with the rest of the group, but something strange stopped them.

The mediator faction turned around in unison to see another circle getting drawn on the ground, a huge stone tablet being dropped on top as well.

The sound of a woman's cackling could faintly be heard from across the link Jeanne held with the Grail.

Ruler could only say one thing.

"Dear Lord, please have mercy on my soul."

**And here we go! New developments have been revealed! I culdn't let the Black Faction be at such a disadvantage, now, could I? So, I gave them an extra servant and a few extremely powerful servants. I've also dropped one other hint about what Jeanne found suspicious in Zelretch's words, just pay attention to what the Grail is saying. Anyway, as always please review and follow and favorite! Have a nice day, y'all! **


	4. Revelations

**Double whammy! Didn't expect that, did you? I really don't know how I managed to pop all of this out, my fingers just couldn't stop moving and there were so many things that I had to reveal to you guys. Considering the number of characters, the chapters might not even advance the plot and just show off how the characters are bonding like in this chapter. Many twists in this one! That I really hope you guys enjoy. Anyway, on with the chapter!**

"How goes the preparations for the Hanging Gardens, your Highness?" Shirou Kotomine, priest and representative of the Holy Church, questioned his servant with his usual pleasant smile.

"I believe that I had ordered you not to bother me about that anymore." The Queen of Assyria, Semiramis, said as she enjoyed the pleasant sound of music that floated throughout their base.

"I must admit that this Caster is quite an incredible musician, I would have enjoyed it had he been alive in my time." She gave a pleased as the last note of the Symphony No. 40 resounded through her whole body.

Shirou laughed gently, giving a nod of agreement. "I must agree with you on that, that prodigious man's works would have certainly made life more entertaining had they existed in my time." He gave a disappointed sigh and a mock saddened look. "How sad for us to be only a century apart in terms of era."

The sounds of robes rustling told them that the subject of their discussion had decided to join them in their little private talk. "My~ I am pleased to find that there are still those that would be capable of seeing the true genius that hides behind my compositions." A small ghost-like familiar followed Caster and jotted down notes on a piece of paper as the man whispered phrases and intonations to it, the idea of writing a new opera recounting the story of this Grail War striking his fancy. Such was the skill of a prodigious genius of immeasurable talent.

"I am glad to see you join us, Mozart." Shirou said with a small smile, he enjoyed the presence of the man, his dry wit and passion for music were quite entertaining.

"I would say that I am pleased to be in your presence, but that would be a very bold lie." The revealed musical genius of the 18th century smirked slightly as the priest did not even twitch at his rudeness. "But it is quite a pleasure to be in the presence of the Queen of Assyria herself."

Semiramis smirked in amusement at the small banter, it was quite the sight after all. "This queen finds your music to be splendid, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart."

Mozart, taking off his hat, bowed flamboyantly at her majesty. "My thanks, my lady." Mozart turns to look at Shirou with narrowed eyes. "I must ask, why have you persistently tried to keep me away from any source of modern music? I am quite curious to see how music has evolved in this modern era."

Shirou tilted his head in confusion at his words, truthfully perplexed at what he was saying. "Whatever might you mean? I did no such thing to my knowledge." He said with a raised eyebrow.

Caster sighed and nodded, seemingly understanding something. "It seems that it was not you either. Somebody has entered my room and stolen all of those...DVDs? That I had acquired so that I could...analyze modern music." The platinum blond stood up straight and rubbed his temple in annoyance.

"I'm sure that you will find them if you keep searching." Shirou said, a gentle smile still on his face.

"I certainly hope so, I did not compose a Sonata for my master just so that I could lose what I gained from it." He said with a disdainful look on his face. "Very well, I shall return to my search, have a pleasant day, fake priest, Queen of Assyria. Call for me should you need my assistance in a matter of musicality." The musician turned around and exited the throne room, his ghost-like familiar still following behind him.

When the doors were firmly closed behind him, Shirou turned to the Assyrian queen, an amused smile on his face. "You were the one to steal the DVDs he bought, weren't you?" He accused her, no spite or anger in his voice, only amusement.

"I do not see what you are talking about, Priest. I was simply...making sure that a musician of his talent did not have his ears sullied by this common trash that is the modern world's music." She said with a devilish smirk covering her lips.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Saber, tell me your true name." The order was said immediately as the door was closed behind them, activating the bounded field that stopped any sound from escaping his room. A precaution against the other masters in the Fortress of Millenia.

"Are you certain of your choice, master? I would advise that you not know my true name in case of any mental attacks that may divulge my identity to the enemy." Saber said, his words cold and tactical.

Gordes slowly sat down in his comfortable recliner and sighed, pondering over his servant's words. He had decided that even if he did see his servant as just a tool, he was an incredibly powerful and knowledgeable tool. As such, he would take his words seriously and listen to his ideas and suggestions.

"I will...reluctantly agree with your words. The risks of the enemy caster peering into my mind would be too great and it would be better for your name to remain unknown, even if there are only two options to who you could be, considering the catalyst I used." Gordes waved at one of his homunculi, telling him to pour them both a glass of wine.

"Sit, Saber." He said, motioning at the chair in front of him. The man complied and sat down, his posture was still straight and ready to react at a moment's notice.

"My name is Gordes Musik Yggdmillenia." He said casually, taking a sip from his glass of wine. "And to tell you the truth, I see you as nothing more than a weapon, a tool to be used so that I can elevate myself further in the hierarchy of the Yggdmillenia family. No...to call it a family would be wrong. It is more of a clan than anything else." He said lightly, revealing the full truth to his servant.

"That is what I had deducted from how you had been looking at me, yes. I see no wrong in such a view. You are the master, I am the servant, there is no room for anything more between us." Saber said, his cold efficiency sending shivers down Gordes' spine.

"Hmph. Good. I had hoped that I would not summon one of those knights in shining armour. It is good to see that I have summoned a pragmatic king instead." Gordes' theory seemed to be correct. He had known the Saber's identity from the beginning due to having studied Siegfried and Sigurd's legends extensively. Siegfried was said to be unable to be able to wear anything that would cover the weak spot in his back, but the man before him was wearing a shirt that completely covered his back.

Furthermore, this man's personality could not be farther from what Siegfried's had been described to be, a selfless knight that was more akin to a walking wish-granting machine, while this man, Sigurd, was a cold and efficient king that had earned through multiple harsh trials the title of King of Warriors.

His thoughts were interrupted by a chuckle. At first, he thought that one of his homunculi had become defective but he was proven wrong when he noticed that it was Saber that was laughing.

"And what is so funny, Saber?" The alchemist asked with narrowed eyes, he did not appreciate being mocked.

"Please, excuse my rudeness, master." Saber apologized as he got his chuckling under control. "I am simply impressed by your deductive skills, master." The light bounced off of his glasses, hiding them from sight.

Gordes chuckled lightly and relaxed once more. "Saber, I have one last question to ask you before I retire for the night."

Saber looked up from his almost empty glass of wine with a raised eyebrow. "Yes?"

_"What is your wish?"_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Assassin really has some nice drinks stored up in here, am I right, Archer?" A green-haired man wearing greek-styled armour shouted out with a grin, wrapping his arm around his fellow servant's neck amicably.

"Ah, yes. They're great!" The tan-skinned man said with a sheepish chuckle.

Rider sighed and seemed to calm down, looking at his comrade with narrowed eyes. "You're suspicious too, huh?"

Archer nodded, a sigh escaping his lips as he thought about their situation. "I find it strange that our masters would leave us in the hands of this priest and remain in hiding." He said with a worried tone.

Rider chuckled slightly, patting his new friend on the back. "You're a real hero, ain't ya?"

Archer grinned and gave him a thumbs-up, his usual energy returning to him as he tried to put his worried thoughts behind him. "Heroes are what you call people who get the job done when the time comes, right? It's still pretty confusing to me." He said with a chuckle.

Rider shrugged, not really caring. "I don't know, but that's what people call us so that's what we are...probably." He ended up laughing at his own words, Archer joining in after a moment.

"But still, to think that I would get the chance to fight alongside the great Achilles." Archer said with a huge grin as he took a swig from his mug of beer.

"Imagine my reaction when I learned I would be fighting alongside the great hero of Persia, Arash!" He responded, jabbing his friend in the rib with an amused grin.

Arash laughed boisterously at his words and waved him off dismissive of his own fame. "Bah! And to have Karna of the Mahabharata join us as well!" He yelled out, dragging the Lancer that had been quietly sitting next to them closer, making him drop his drink and look at it with a sad look.

The lion-eared and tailed Berserker sitting further away from them just sighed in discouragement. "Morons." She muttered under her breath.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Archer was confused. Usually, women he tended to meet did everything in their power to earn his favour. Some of them offering gold, others prestige, and some even offering to bear his children. So he was understandably confused when his master just sat at the table in her room and sipped some tea, her disappointment at the tea quite obvious on her face.

He had nothing against it, of course, he adored being in silence and solitude after all, but this was slightly disconcerting. To have a better chance of winning the war, they would have to be able to communicate. He sighed silently and decided to do his duty as her servant.

"You have yet to tell me your name, master." He stated clearly, his eye narrowing in confusion as he saw his master's victorious smirk.

"Neither have you, Archer." She said, smug smirk still in place in her beautiful visage. He had to admit that she was quite a beautiful young girl. Many men would have fought each other for the right to ask for her hand in his time.

"Very well, Equivalent Exchange is what mages live by, correct?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Then shall we exchange names?"

His master seemed to consider his words for a second, though it was obvious that she was just messing with him.

"Okay then. Let's exchange names, you first." She said finally, leaning back into her seat with a small smirk. This was pretty funny to her.

"Very well. I am Arjuna of the Pandavas, the Endowed Hero." He answered as he bowed to his master. "Please, use me to my fullest capabilities."

His master smirked once more, he couldn't help but wonder if that was the only facial expression she was able to do, and stood up as well.

"I guess, it's my turn then." She said, her twin-tailed hair swinging along to her movement. Powerful blue eyes bore into his with a sheer ferocity that would not be out of place on the face of a Goddess of War.

_"My name is Rin Tohsaka and my goal is to kill Darnic Preston Yggdmillenia."_

**Don't kill me yet, Lore Nazis! I have a reason for this! This is obviously an AU so I'll explain stuff later on. Anyway, please review, favorite and follow! And small precision for the omake stuff: I will choose who will get the omake on the fourth chapter and the omake will be released in the fifth chapter.**


	5. Archer

**So sorry for the lateness of this chapter, but school has started up once more and I've lost most of my free time. I'll try to continue writing as much as I can and I apologize for the short length of this chapter. I hope to make it up to you guys next time with an interlude about Rin's past experiences in the Sub Holy Grail War.**

As a young girl, Rin had always idolized her father. She saw him as a perfect figure to base what her future self would be on. So it was with great heartache that she had to learn to let go of the dead and instead hang on to the lessons given by them.

She kept learning, never stopping. Quickly, she became an incredible magus and ended up participating in a Subspecies Holy Grail War, summoning the servant Saber to aid her in her battle.

The Grail War was full of twists and turns that hardened her mind and body. Of course, she ended up winning the damn battle, but not without severe losses.

She lost her sister to another competitor, she had lost her best friend and she had lost her home. Such were the evils of war.

She took her revenge of course. She had enjoyed seeing the one that had killed her sister literally boil from the inside-out when Excalibur Galatine had pierced his chest. She'd then went and procured all of their magecraft-related books as compensation for the loss of her own.

While searching the man's headquarters, she had noticed a letter with a recognizable seal. How could she not recognize it? It was the seal of the clan that had forced her family into hiding and forced them out of their own country and into Rome of all places.

She had been surprised to learn that the leader of the clan was the same one as sixty years ago and that his youthfulness had yet to disappear.

Rin Tohsaka was many things. Kind, prodigal and a genius, but forgiving and patient were not proper adjectives to describe her by.

An unholy rage filled her as she learned that that man, Darnic Preston Yggdmillennia, had been the one feeding information to the one that had murdered her sister.

And so, her mind was made. She would kill that man and destroy everything he ever worked for. And she'd do it in the worst kind of way, from the inside.

A new look and a new identity. She even changed her style of magecraft and faked her death. She made Darnic believe that the Tohsaka's were finally completely wiped off the face of the Earth.

She was now Tomoe Mitsuzuri, a fourth-generation magus that had a specialty in curses. She had managed to get into the clan by becoming friends with a certain wheelchair-bound girl, Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia, one of the few first-class mages of the clan.

She had risen up the ranks through sheer talent and political proficiency until she finally managed to reach a high enough position to become a Master just in time for the Greater Grail War that Darnic had planned for.

That brought her to this day, her servant, Arjuna of the Pandavas, bowing before her undisguised form.

"You are to reveal this knowledge to no one, Archer. Can I trust you with that?" Her beautiful blue eyes narrowed severely as her command seals started to glow dimly, the subtle threat not going unnoticed by her servant.

"The command seals will be unnecessary, master. My loyalty is yours and yours only as long as you can follow one request of mine." Arjuna said as he got up slowly, his hair shadowing his eyes. He could not let her see the "Black". Such a being was for him alone to face. "If Karna has been summoned in this war, I _must_ be the one to defeat him."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeanne sighed in relief as she was finally able to relax, all of her summoned servants being currently in spirit form. She had been surprised and completely flabergasted at her newest servant's identity. It had taken her some time for her head to wrap around the fact that the Grail thought it was necessary to summon someone as powerful as that man.

She sighed once more, deciding to keep those thoughts for later and just enjoy her momentary time of rest as she sat alone in the back of a pick-up truck belonging to a kind man that had offered to bring her to Trifas.

Her temporary peace became fleeting as a certain mana signature that reminded her of the sun appeared in her "radar". Her eyes widened at the sheer amount of power that the signature held and made her immediately catch the driver's attention to tell him to stop the car.

Jeanne quickly grabbed her luggage and jumped out of the car and went to tell the driver to leave as fast as possible. "Sir, I thank you for your kindness, but I implore you to continue on your way without me." She told him with a stern look.

The man looked ready to protest, but a small narrowing of her eyes made the man comply and simply wish her good luck on her travels.

"How considerate of you to make that man flee, Saint."

The calm voice of the presence she had felt earlier made her sigh and turn to gaze upon the hero that had come to speak with her.

"May I ask what your business with me is, Lancer of Red?" She asked with a neutral look covering her face. She mentally prepared herself for the inevitable speech of how with a Ruler on their side, they'd be able to win the war easily.

She narrowed her eyes as she saw the man summon his golden spear, _Vasavi Shakti, the God-Killing Spear,_ her True Name Discernment whispered in her mind.

"It is simple. My master has deemed your existence unnecessary and has ordered your execution." The Lancer twirled his spear idly and slowly dropped into a stance.

"Do you know what that declaration means, Lan- No. Karna, the Hero of Charity!?" Jeanne questioned with an incredulous appearance. "If you continue this reckless endeavour, I will be ob-" She stopped talking as a large hand was placed upon her shoulder, cutting her off.

Karna's eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of the man that had appeared behind Ruler. His icy blue eyes ran over the man's form, muscles that spoke of years of training and combat covered his body along with scars from battles of legend that no man or god could ever replicate.

"This man is determined to complete his task, master. Your words will not affect him, no matter what you say." His deep and gravelly voice would have made any common man or woman feel safe and protected as if they had an impenetrable shield to protect them from all harm and made his enemies lose all hope of victory.

"You! What is your identity, servant?" Karna questioned the man with wide eyes, his calm demeanour for once being broken.

A chuckle escaped the servant. "Me? I don't mind revealing my identity to you."

_A hero above all others._

_Twelve labours, given by King Eurystheus._

_The hero triumphed over all and reached godhood at the end of his journey._

A single arrow was fired off at undescribable speed, causing Karna to immediately raise his spear and burn it away.

A chuckle rang out as two warriors of unparalleled power faced each other in a merciless battle.

**_"I am Heracles."_**


	6. The Sub Holy Grail War

**_Heyo, everyone! Merlin here! Here we go with another chapter of the story! This one is actually a lot longer than the other chapters! Well, not that much actually, just about 700 words more. Eh. I hope it's still enjoyable! Here we go with Rin's past!_**

_The day had started like any other day. Rin woke up, got cleaned up and_

_got ready for school. After doing so, she made her way downstairs and into the living room in which she and her sister always had breakfast together in, she sat down in front of the table soon after, waiting for her sister._

_"Mornin' Sis," Rin drawled out with a tired yawn, her only living relative giggling at the gesture, she really just wasn't cut out to be a morning person._

_"Good morning to you too, Rin." Sakura's straight black hair whipped around as she bustled around the kitchen with a content smile on her face. "I noticed that the clocks in the house were all an hour behind so be careful when you summon your servant, okay?" _

_Sakura's warning forced Rin to wake up a bit more, blinking the remaining exhaustion away from her tired eyes. "Thanks for the warning, Sakura," she said with a grateful smile clear on her face, God bless her sister. She was happy that the girl had no interest in the moonlit world and was content to stay out of it, Sakura was much too soft for that world_

_Her kindness and forgiving nature had earned her the title of a doormat at school, they were just an important facet of her personality. She wouldn't be called a doormat had the students at school ever seen her angry though, Rin once had the terrifying displeasure of having to face an irate Sakura when she had walked in on her and her boyfriend sucking face._

_Her thoughts were interrupted by Sakura setting a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her. Her eager smile widened as she proceeded to pour her a cup of tea as well. "You are the best sister in the world, Sakura. God save any who'd dare fight me on this." She praised jokingly with a teasing smirk._

_Sakura smiled jokingly in return. "My~ If I was anyone else, I'd say you were hitting on me considering the constant praise you give me each morning." The mischievous glint in her eyes made the older Tohsaka pout slightly and make another jab._

_Their breakfast continued with them making jabs at each other and laughing happily._

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Rin waved her sister off as they split paths, each heading for their classes. Rin's warm smile remained on her face as she spotted her best friend in the distance, making her speed up her pace. _

_She was happy to finally see her, it had been quite a while considering the girl sometimes had to leave school for an extended time due to medical reasons. Rin always worried about her, not only because she was her best friend but also because...no. Rin shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts, the two of them were Catholic and such a relationship would be badly seen by almost everyone they knew._

_Thankfully, her forbidden thoughts were interrupted by her bumping into someone. She looked up to apologize, only to blush and stammer in embarrassment at the coy smile of the subject of her thoughts. Had she really been so focused on her thoughts that she'd bumped into the one those thoughts revolved around?_

_"My~ It is unlike you to be so lost in thought, Rin." Her unnaturally yellow eyes gazed at her with amusement, making her blush deepen. "Were you thinking of my wonderfully beautiful body once more?" A teasing smirk formed on Rin's current and only love interest as she took pleasure in watching the magus squirm._

_"Please stop, Caren." Rin's words came out in a whiny tone that she only ever allowed herself to use around Caren and Sakura. "It's your fault for making me think of you that way." She poked her friend's stomach in annoyance, but also partially to enjoy the firm smoothness of it. Damn, hormones. They both knew that Rin had feelings of affection for her that went farther than simple friendship and they were both mature enough not to hide it from each other._

_"It was simply a kiss, nothing too wild, I believe." Caren Hortensia, daughter of Kotomine Kirei and Maria Hortensia, said with a dismissive tone. "I would do it again if you simply ask. A more private setting would be required though." She specified with a wave towards the half-full classroom they had arrived at while they were talking._

_Rin sighed in despair and covered her face to hide that damn blush that kept popping up whenever Caren teased her._

_Her hopelessness increased at the familiar sound of her best friend snickering silently. God, she was worse than her father in some ways._

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Piercing blue orbs narrowed thinly in focus as her digits worked deftly to draw the magic circle required to summon her servant with incredible precision._

_Rin revised the words of the incantation to reassure herself and calm her nerves. She had made sure that her sister went to sleep at her boyfriend's house for the night, though it pained her to give the boy more opportunities to do sinful acts with her adorable and innocent sister._

_A pleased smile adorned her lips as she looked upon the completed circle, no imperfections to be spotted anywhere, a true testament to her genius-level of skill._

_She twirled a strand of hair around her finger anxiously as she tried to calm herself, reminding herself what her father taught her._

_'The Tohsaka family prides itself on the perfection of its work, Rin. But not only that, it takes care to be elegant while showing their genius.'_

_The words that had been drilled into her head soothed her, not because of the words themselves but because of who was the one that said them. The memories of her father were what always made her feel confident, imagining his proud gaze on her back._

_A small smile graced her lips as they slowly parted, the words of the summoning spell leaving her lips in a composed and measured tone._

_The bright red glow of the circle filled the room, a feeling of giddiness invading her mind as she felt her connection with her servant snap into place. The bruises on her hand glowed as well, changing into her command seals for the war._

_Her eyes widened in amazement as she looked upon her servant, a charming smile on his face. Golden strands framed his face softly, contrasting his muscled and generally masculine appearance._

_A shining silver armour, subtle engravings on the chest plate that gave it a sort of elegance. His sole presence seemed to light up the room both literally and figuratively. _

_He seemed like a man of honour and dignity, which made it even more gratifying when he bowed in front of her in subservience. "Servant Saber, Sir Gawain of the Knights of the Round Table." The Knight of the Round revealed with a proud smile. "My loyalty is yours, master, as long as you do not make me defy my code of honour and chivalry." The man immediately set limits with his master, the only one that could convince him to go against his morals like that was his King._

_"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Gawain." Rin tried to contain her excitement but failed to contain a grin that managed to give even Gawain shivers. "We're gonna have some fun."_

_The Knight of the Sun suddenly started regretting answering this call._

**_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_**

_The cool autumn breeze caused Rin to shiver slightly, pulling down her miniskirt to cover herself up a bit more. She sighed and turned to look at her servant pleadingly._

_Gawain simply looked at her with a deadpan. "No. Please, pardon my bluntness, master, but I am not letting you use Galatine as a portable heater once more." He was still slightly perturbed by the efficient way the Grail imparted knowledge to him so that he could easily use modern terms in conversation._

_Rin pouted ever so slightly, giving up on trying to heat herself up. They were currently on the rooftop of her school, waiting for a certain someone to come join them._

_She'd received a letter from an enemy master while at school, though from reading the contents of the letter it didn't seem like they wanted to remain enemies. Truthfully, even though she was sure that she could win the war with only Gawain, having a meatshield for her servant in case any incidents occur would be very helpful._

_Her thoughts were interrupted as her command seals started acting up, signalling the arrival of the master that thought it would be a good idea to try and contact her._

_"Who knew that the one my master was so interested in would be such an adorable lass." A masculine voice resounded throughout the rooftop as a servant slowly materialized in front of them, a feral grin and beastly red eyes facing them._

_The appearance of the servant was immediately followed by the sound of the door to the roof opening to allow passage for the master. _

_"I thought I told you to wait for me to come up, Lancer." A familiar voice called out._

_Rin froze in absolute shock and denial, refusing to believe the identity of who was standing before her._

_Gawain looked at his master in worry, turning to direct his rage at the master-servant duo standing in front of them. "What have you done to my master, scoundrels?!" His sword was immediately pulled out as he dropped into a threatening stance, knowing that there was no way for them to win against him._

_The reason for that was very simple, the sun was shining brightly. No clouds, nothing. Just the sun, shining down on them and increasing his power to absolutely tremendous proportions._

_"Oi, oi, master! This guy's power just skyrocketed!" A blood-red spear appeared in what appeared to be servant Lancer's hand as he prepared to retaliate against the Saber._

_Powerful flames licked the handsome knight's sword in a show of strength as he prepared to strike down the vermin standing before him to protect his master's life from what he assumed to be a threat to her. _

_"S-Stop, Saber!" His master's voice stopped him from attacking the strange duo, making him grunt slightly to show he had heard her._

_"Thank you for stopping your servant, Rin. Lancer is quite powerful but I believe your Saber would have defeated him very easily." Her soft voice spoke with mirth as Lancer let out a sound of indignation._

_"What are you doing here, Caren?" Rin asked angrily, a feeling of betrayal filling her heart. She knew what her friend being here entailed and she did not like it one bit._

_A coy smile stretched across her lips. "I am hoping to make an alliance with my friend in this Holy Grail War so that we both may survive. Lancer and I do not have a wish, so you two may have it all to yourselves." She explained smoothly._

_Rin looked at her incredulously, a bit offended that she'd actually think that someone like Rin would fall for that. "I'm not stupid, Caren! I won't fall for your tricks so easily. I may lo-" The Tohsaka scion stopped herself from continuing, an angry blush covering her cheeks._

_Caren smiled softly and approached her slowly to show she wasn't a threat, not acknowledging Saber's slight shift in stance. She lifted her hand to stroke Rin's cheek, making the girl blush even harder and slap her hand away. Caren sighed and twirled a strand of hair around her finger idly. "I promise that I am not lying, Rin. I work with the Church and they asked me to help you win the war due to their inclination towards your family." She spoke softly._

_"Okay. I can believe that. Only because it's you saying it though!" She made clear that she only believed her words because it was her saying them, she didn't want her to think that she'd just trust anybody like that. "But I can't believe that your servant doesn't have a wish! Don't you need one to be summoned in a war?!"_

_The Lancer servant decided to speak this time, considering he was the target this time. "You don't need to worry, little miss. My wish is getting granted by me just participating in this war." His feral grin returned to his face as he twirled his spear. "My wish is to get some good fights while I'm in this war. That's all there is to it, I've got no regrets." _

_Gawain seemed to nod in approval. "It is an understandable wish for a warrior, though it might be a bit barbaric." He said this in a praising manner but managed to insult Lancer at the same time, making the spear master's eyebrow twitch in annoyance._

_Caren, sensing the incoming fight, decided to intervene before the two could start killing each other. "Now that that's out of the way, how about we officialize this alliance?" She said with a small smirk, eager to see her friend's reaction to how she would officialize this._

_Rin sighed and pushed back a loose strand of hair back behind her ear, nodding in agreement. "Okay then, you can come to my house so that I can write down a Geass Contract."_

_Caren giggled slightly and waved her off. "Don't worry about it, I have a much better idea that will take a lot less time." She said with a sly smirk as she leaned forward and caught Rin's lips in a kiss._

_The two male servants sputtered in surprise, Gawain turning away to give them privacy, much to his dismay as a full-blooded male, while Lancer kept looking with a perverse grin, feeling no shame at all._

_The gem-user blushed bright red but leaned into the kiss without hesitating, enjoying the moment. The Chibi Rin inside her head was currently doing a victory dance with steam coming out of her ears and an atomic blush._

_Caren finally broke the kiss and smiled at Rin coyly. "This was a better way to seal the deal, no?"_

_Rin looked away and huffed, trying to hide her red cheeks. "S-Shut up! It's not like I'd been waiting for you to do that for months now, idiot!" The girl mentally cursed herself for falling back into what her sister called tsundere tendencies._

_What an adventure this war will be thought Gawain with a small smile as he silently chuckled at his master continuously denying her want to kiss again._

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_"Are you okay, Saber?" Gawain was snapped out of his silent contemplation by his master, smiling gently at her presence. _

_"Ah, hello there, master. How did you know I was on the roof?" He asked, trying to sound like he normally did but failing miserably._

_Rin raised an eyebrow and sat down next to her servant and friend, though she'd never admit it. "Please don't try to dodge the question, you know it's useless." She said blankly while cleaning her nails._

_Gawain chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "My apologies, master. I should have known not to underestimate you." He said with a small smile._

_Rin scoffed in amusement, trying not to preen at the praise. "Yes, a big mistake coming from you, Gawain. Now, tell me what's on your mind, I can't have my servant feel down during battle, can I?" She elbowed him with a smirk, telling him to go on and just spit it out._

_Gawain nodded slightly, a dark look entering his eyes. "I know it may seem hard to believe, but I do have my own regrets in life. Things that I would change in a heartbeat, had I the choice. Sir Lancelot's maddened form simply...reminded me of those failures." Tears stung his eyes but he held them back, he was a knight before all else, he could not allow himself to be perceived as weak by his master._

_"A wise man once said, people cry, not because they're weak. It's because they've been strong for too long." She said with a soft smile, patting her friend on the back._

_Gawain chuckled, though no humour was to be found in his voice. "Wise words indeed, my master. I'd love to meet the man that said them one day." He said with a small smile as a single tear trailed across his cheek._

_Rin gave an exaggerated sigh, placing her hand against her forehead in the classical 'woe is me' fashion. "I'd love to meet Johnny Depp too, but we can't always get what we want sadly." An amused grin spread across her face, matching the one that Gawain sported._

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_**Risky Move Spotted! CarenxRin? WTF, Merlin? Are you crazy, Me- Yes! I am absolutely bonkers! Bahaha! I don't care if you enjoy that or not, tis my story and I'll do whatever the hell pleases me! Mwahahaha-**_

_**Rebooting.**_

_**Rebooting.**_

_**Loading.**_

_**Success!**_

_***awkward cough* Sorry about that. It seems my power as a writer had taken over me for a moment there. But seriously, you guys know that I like to go outside the box with my ideas and you've had an amazing response to it up until now and I hope that you'll stick with me for the rest of the story. If you didn't like it, I'll tell you that Caren will only appear in Rin's other flashback episode and then will never be seen again in person. BUT! Caren has a very special connection to the story that is a big part of the plot. Congrats to anyone who figures it out!**_

_**Aaaanyway, that's it for today folks! Merlin, ou- Dammit, Cath Palug! Stop kicking me!**_


	7. Sparks

**I am so sorry this took so long to come out! I got busy with school and a lot of other stuff, you guys get it, right? Here we have the first fight scene of the story, not really cofident with how it turned out but we'll see. Anyway, I won't keep you any longer, enjoy the story! Oh, one last thing. I need to do this because this person was somebody that got me through tough times.**

**R.I.P Juice WRLD, you and your music will be missed deeply by me.**

_I'm all, I'm really all in_

_I fell in love with all your flaws and sins_

_Your scars are really gorgeous_

_Ain't that a weird way to give compliments?_

_~ Flaws and Sins, Juice WRLD_

Karna raised his spear and dashed forward, flames blasting off his back to increase his speed.

Jumping back with a grin edging his mouth, five identical arrows manifested into the Greek hero's hand, he wasted no time and they left his bow one after the other with speed and swiftness unnatural for even a servant, it would appear as if they were all released at the same moment to the simple human eye.

Karna stopped his charge suddenly and manipulated the flames bursting from his feet in such a way that they'd burn the arrows that were heading straight at him.

Heracles laughed boisterously at the move and threw away his bow, letting it disappear into blue particles to be resummoned later on. "Well, if my arrows do nothing, let us see about my close combat!" He yelled out as he dashed forward at high speeds while in a Pankration stance.

Karna smirked in excitement and then he _moved_, he performed continuous stabs with his spear. It looked more as if there was a wall of spears blocking Heracles' path instead of a single spear.

Heracles used his incredible speed, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly in extreme focus as he dodged every stabbing motion expertly even with his large form. He grunted as he finally found it, his hand darted out and caught the spear by the shaft.

Karna's eyes widened in alarm as he saw the huge fist coming straight for his face. Flames burst from his spear, burning the Archer's hand and making him let go of the weapon but not before giving an incredibly powerful punch that threw Karna several meters away.

Heracles paused for a moment as he looked down at his burnt hand, the blackened and destroyed skin regenerating extremely fast. "Those are powerful flames, Hero of Charity." He stated, impressed at the sheer power of those flames.

"Such is the power of flames of the sun, Son of Zeus." Karna replied as he got up from his spot on the ground, his nose broken and leaking blood. "I am impressed that a simple punch did so much damage with Kavacha and Kundala protecting me." He praised in return.

Heracles grinned sheepishly and flexed jokingly. "This body did not hold up the sky by being weak." He slowly dropped back into his stance as the small moment of rest passed.

Karna narrowed his eyes as he gripped his spear tightly. He felt Brahmastra's refusal to activate as he looked upon Heracles with his intimidating glare, denoting the man's superior skill and power. Would he truly have to reveal his trump card and discard his armour so early on in the war?

Heracles dashed forward once more and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks that shook the earth with their power with Karna blocking every one of them with his god-like skill with the spear.

Karna grunted as he tilted his head, a punch barely grazing his cheek. His eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to unleash a giant stream of flames from his mouth, much like a Dragon's Breath.

Heracles reacted instantly, bending over backwards to avoid the flames, sweat covered his body at the sweltering heat of the flames. He managed to shift his position so that he could try and sweep Karna's legs from under him but the hero of the Mahabharata saw it coming and went to stab his opponent's leg into the ground.

Heracles grunted as the spear...speared his leg to the ground, the heat of the flames disappearing as Karna stopped breathing out flames. Heracles simply summoned his bow and shot an arrow directly at Karna, the projectile blasting the Son of the Sun God away and blowing a hole through the side of his stomach.

Heracles got up and pulled out the spear from his leg and twirled it idly as the morning rays of the sun started to rise upon their battle.

Karna managed to lift himself from his position on the ground, a large amount of blood leaking from his wound. His eyes widened as Heracles threw Vasavi Shakti back at him, not letting him fight unarmed. He nodded gratefully at the man, who's only response was to look at him with an expectant look.

Heracles summoned his bow along with an arrow with a green liquid staining the arrow tip. "Let us end this with one final strike." He said seriously as he notched the arrow on his bow. His muscles tensed and an aura of absolute divine power started to flood the area with its sheer intensity.

Karna nodded and lifted into the sky as bright red flames started licking at his armour and consuming it. "If that is your command. You will know the mercy of th-" Karna was suddenly cut off as the sound of galloping hooves was heard across the battlefield.

"Oi! Lancer!" The Rider of Red called out from his place upon his divine chariot. "I know the old man is a nice opponent and I hate to interrupt this but the priest wants you back at the base right now." He says with an annoyed expression, Achilles hated interrupting other people's fights.

Karna simply sighed and slowly floated back down to the ground, the red flames that had been about to consume his armour slowly disappearing. "My apologies, Heracles. It seems we will have to continue this battle another time." His icy blue gaze suddenly changed into a flame of excitement. "And rest assured that we _will_ continue this battle. Make sure you do not fall to another's blade until then."

Heracles chuckled good-heartedly as he relaxed his hold on his bow. "I will make sure of it, Lancer of Red." The man suddenly turned towards Rider with narrowed eyes. "And you. May I ask why exactly you just called me an old man, Peleus?"

Rider laughed boisterously at the Archer's mistake. "I ain't my old man, old man." He said with his laugh slowly turning into a chuckle.

Heracles' eyes widened at the words and he was left gaping as Rider drove off with Karna turning into spirit form and leaving.

**_-:- Page Break -:-_**

"Well then...that was quite the terrifying duel."

Darnic's voice resounded through the throne room, only further enhancing the slight trembling that could be heard in it. He had cut the transmission from the familiar he had sent to observe the battle once the gods in human form had finally stopped what he could only describe as a natural disaster of a fight.

The head of the Yggdmillenia was not a man that was easily shaken, but even the Third Holy Grail War did not have any servant that could match those two servants in terms of sheer skill. He doubted even Fionn, his servant during the last war and a god slayer, would be able to match those two monstrosities.

_Those weren't Heroic Spirits, they were Divine Spirits brought down to the level of Humanity._

"Calm yourself, Darnic." Vlad's baritone voice cut through his inner monologue and stopped his slow fall into despair. "Truly, those two were heroes of another level. But remember that we also have our own indomitable forces to match theirs." He said calmly, waving his hand to the side to point out the slightly trembling Archer of Black.

Darnic grimaced at the sight of the man, bending down to speak in the King of Wallachia's ear. "My King, while Archer of Black may be powerful, even he seems to lack confidence in the face of those heroes." He whispered nervously to the Lord Impaler.

A savage grin covered Vlad's face at Darnic's words. "You seem to be under the assumption that the Prince of the Pandavas' trembling stems from fear, Darnic, but that is false." He slowly stood from his throne with all the grace of a noble. "He is shaking of _excitement._"

Darnic's eyes widened in shock as he turned to look back at the dark-skinned servant, finally taking notice of the large grin on his face and the sharp glint that had entered his eyes.

"This will truly be a war that will be carved deep into the annals of history!" Vlad proclaimed loudly to his fellow servants, most of them, with the exception of Berserker and Assassin, had gathered to watch and study the battle that had been reported. "Sharpen your swords, steel your hearts and ready yourselves! For what lies ahead are powerful adversaries that will not be defeated easily!"

The servants remained mostly silent but the atmosphere of the room had changed into something much more intense, so much so that all of the masters that had never participated in a grail war before almost felt suffocated by it.

Vlad's eyes narrowed as he focused on a certain aspect of that fight. "It seems that even the supposedly impartial judge has abandoned her post and taken a place in this war, even having the audacity to summon her own servants!" His spear was summoned in his hand. "The Black Faction will not take this affront lying down." His eyes narrowed as he slammed the butt of his spear on the ground in a clear show of anger.

_"Before all else, the Ruler's abnormal faction must be eliminated."_

**_-:- Page Break -:-_**

**Time Skip**

**Morning to Night**

Jeanne sighed as she entered the small room she had gotten for herself for the next week in a small inn on the edge of Trifas. She dropped her suitcase in a corner of the room and let herself collapse on the bed face first. Her body ached in places that she didn't even know existed and she felt dirty, the troubles of having a human body she thought to herself.

A displeased feeling overcame her, causing her to gasp slightly and mentally apologize to the kind owner of the body she was currently using as a vessel. She hadn't meant to sound ungrateful to Laeticia for allowing her control over her body, but she was tired after having walked all the remaining way to Trifas on foot. There might be another reason why she was so tired though.

She hummed lightly as she felt the bed shift a tad bit under the weight of another person, speak of the devil she thought to herself.

"You seem tired, my lady." The young voice of her newly summoned servant noted. "Would you like me to prepare some tea?" The servant offered kindly.

"No, but thank you. That is very kind of you, Ushiwakamaru." Jeanne said with a smile as she slowly removed her face from the bed to look upon the youthful face of her Rider servant. The saint of the flag had been surprised, and quite a bit scandalized when she first saw her, not expecting one of the most well-known heroes of Japan to be such a small and lithe girl.

The younger form of Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune offered her a simple smile and returned to spirit form. "Call for me should you ever have a task for me to complete, my lady." Those were the last words she said before fully disappearing, going out to patrol around the building instead.

"Who knew that Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune would be a small girl?" Musashi's comment slipped out the moment the Rider had left the room as she entered the room with Brynhildr and Gilgamesh in tow.

"If such a small thing as gender can stun you, I certainly fear for the future of this war." The King of Heroes mocked slightly as he gave the room a once over, a slight hint of disdain covering his face. "I shall not even ponder why you did not take the inn I suggested. To replace it with such a...dirty alternative."

Musashi laughed it off and slapped the king on the back, causing him to glare daggers at her much too familiar actions. "Oh come on, Goldy! The room ain't that bad!" She said nonchalantly, jumping on the bed to join Jeanne.

Gilgamesh smirked devilishly at her, a cruel tint to his stare. "That is because your eyes do not see what I see." He said with a light chuckle, deciding to reveal how dirty the sheets they were laying on were after he allowed them to settle in them. It was quite amusing to take a break from work once in a while and enjoy himself by watching mongrels squirm from his practical humour.

Musashi smiled shakily at the look he gave her and cocooned herself in the sheets so that she didn't have to suffer under his stare. She could take a giant snake, Heroic Spirit Swordmasters, but that look he gave her just screamed evil at her.

**_-:- Page Break -:-_**

Brynhildr giggled quietly at the interaction between a king and legendary swordswoman. She sat down in the single chair in the room and pulled out a book that belonged to Laeticia. She had asked for permission first, of course, stealing was not appropriate for a queen or a valkyrie.

A small, amused, smile stretched across her face as she felt a presence appear behind her. The man might've been an amazing hero but he seriously had trouble with subtlety, even in spirit form.

"You need not hide if you are interested in the book I am reading, Heracles." She said quietly so that she did not disturb the argument that had started between Gilgamesh and Musashi.

A small chuckle escaped the man as he exited spirit form and kneeled down next to her. "My apologies, Lancer. I did not mean to offend." He apologized with his deep, and yet very gentle, voice.

The white-haired beauty waved him off with a smile. "No worries, we are all friends here." She said easily, simply enjoying the fact that she could finally be free to talk with people without that burning flame igniting inside of her, cau_sing a fire, bur_**_ning everything, destroy her love, hate, love, hate, love, ha_**-

She was snapped out of her trance as the calloused hand of the Greek hero landed on her shoulder gently. "Everything alright?" Asked the gentle giant with a concerned look on his face.

"Yes, yes, my apologies, Archer." She laughed it off easily, noting that despite her curse having been erased, she still held some trauma because of it. "Anyway, would you like to read with me? This book is quite interesting."

**_-:- Page Break -:-_**

"What in the name of Derketo happened out there?!" An unladylike screech escaped the usually calm and composed Assyrian queen as the injured Hero of Charity limped back in the church with help from the green-haired Rider.

Said green-haired Rider glared dangerously at the queen, making her flinch ever so slightly, not expecting the danger that hid behind the man's predatory eyes.

"I think that we'd be more inclined to answer if you helped us patch up the hole in Lancer's stomach, lady." He ground out sarcastically while helping the Indian hero lay down on the altar.

Assassin of Red sneered arrogantly at him, not feeling any obligation to heal the Lancer. "And whyever would I consider healing a servant unable to complete a simple mission?" She mocked, truly not caring. In the end, he was just another enemy.

"Heal him, Assassin." The serene voice of the Kotomine priest cut into the conversation like a sharp knife. "We are gonna need every last servant if we want to survive what seems to be a budding three-way Holy Grail War."


	8. Plans

**Meh, might as well.**

The silence that filled her room felt deafening.

She was sitting, not that she had much of a choice in that, next to a legendary hero of lore and all she could do was sip her tea quietly, too nervous to actually talk to the admittedly very handsome man. She knew who he was, thanks to Caules. Her younger brother proved to be surprisingly ingenious for choosing interesting servants.

The boy had told her that his servant was Penthesilea, he'd even told her that he was planning to have her summon Penthesilea instead but that their uncle had intervened. She would not have minded having the Amazon Queen as her servant, but the Count of Monte Cristo proved to be very interesting.

She had noticed him eyeing her strangely earlier. Now, she was no stranger to people looking at her, be it in pity, in lust or ridicule, but the way he looked at her gave her goosebumps. It wasn't because of anything bad, it was simply because she could see that for once in her life, someone had no expectations from her. She was normally confident enough, but in the face of someone like Edmond Dantes, she felt like her troubles were insignificant. She was scared to even know what he would think of her wish.

"Hmm, you do realize that you have been staring at me for the last five minutes?"

The Avenger cut in on her train of thought suddenly, causing her to perk up in shock. She took a moment to take in his features, noticing his eery yellow eyes that hid an untold amount of hatred for the very nature of humanity and his greyish-white hair that she theorized might be due to Marie Antoinette Syndrome. The Chateau d'If was described as a living hell on Earth and it had probably stressed the man out of his mind when he had first been thrown in there.

"You are...quite distracted, aren't you?" Avenger snickered slightly at her as she fell back into a daze while looking at him. "I hope that this will not happen during a battle, _Master_." He mocked, an amused smirk stretching his face.

A scowl made its way onto Fiore's usually gentle features as her servant mocked one of the skills she was most proud of. "I can assure you that I am one of the best fighters, if not the best, on our side." A small glance at Avenger's slowly quirking lips quickly made her correct herself. "Apart from servants, of course."

Her only answer was the French man taking a slow sip of his tea.

This was going to be hard.

**_-:- Page Break -:-_**

"How magnificent! For the mighty Heracles, humanity's paragon of heroism. to join this cesspool of clashing desires! This piece will surely be my greatest masterpiece yet, not that any of my music isn't a masterpiece of course, but this one might just take the cake!"

Shirou smiled wryly at Mozart, not sharing his joy of having such a powerful as an enemy. He had had enough of Heracles for one lifetime thank you very much. The last time he had had to fight the man in his Berserker class container and he had to join forces with the Saber and Archer of the last war while empowering them with Command Seals.

The priest grimaced as he remembered what he had to say was one of the only times he could admit he was truly afraid. It wasn't for his own life, he had long since given up any feelings of fear for his own life. If the Lord deemed that his time on this Earth was done, then so be it. What he had feared for was the life of his master.

A small, almost forgotten, sting of pain filled his heart as he thought back to the homunculus woman he had failed to save. Her death had only solidified his desire for peace. The hidden servant had been sad that he had been unable to keep his promise of showing her Japan in its entirety.

A frown appeared on Shirou's face as he shook his head to try and put the memories to the side. He had no desire to forget his time with the Von Einzbern woman that had been so kind to him, but it would only distract him if he kept them at the forefront of his mind.

He had more important matters to attend to, like getting more information on Heracles' strengths and weaknesses. It seemed as if God was smiling down upon him as he had a prime source of information on his side. A small smirk wormed its way onto his face as he turned towards his servant, the beautiful queen that always seemed to try and find a way to make him squirm. "Assassin." He called out to her, causing her to slowly shift her attention to him with a raised eyebrow. "Please call for our resident Berserker."

**_-:- Page Break -:-_**

"Now, stop me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that you're excited at the prospect of fighting this Karna?" The sheer dryness of his master's tone flew right over Arjuna's head, his excitement causing him to lose some of his focus.

"Indeed! My summoning in this Grail War must be the gods smiling down upon me!" Arjuna confirmed shamelessly, clenching his fists to stop them from shaking.

"Do try not to get the rest of us killed from any recklessness that may be born from your need to fight this Lancer character." A sharp voice remarked coldly from behind the two.

Caster stood behind them, his head tilted down and giving off the impression of a glare. "Do not run off on your own and bring the Red Faction's attention to us. We must rid ourselves of this third faction _before _moving on to the Red Faction."

The Endowed Hero glowered at the magus angrily for a moment, dark thoughts whirling through his mind on how to remove the obstacle between him and his enemy, before he calmed and gave a small smile. "Of course not. I shall remove any that would dare to place themselves between Karna and me before facing him."

"Good." The Caster finished the conversation curtly, turning on his heels and heading back to his workshop.

Rin sighed heavily, running a hand through her brown hair. "Please, don't antagonize the other servants in our faction, we need their trust for the time being." She demanded plainly.

Arjuna tilted his head and offered an amused smile. "I know not of what you speak of, master, I am a perfectly well-mannered prince."

The disguised master snorted in a very unladylike manner, patting him on the back. "Yeah, sure." A pinched look took over her face. "Now, come on, Darnic ordered us to go look for Assassin and their master. That incompetent pile of garbage is late enough as is, we don't need him antagonizing the Red Faction as well."

Arjuna nodded as they headed for the exit.


End file.
